Despite his cries to rein in illegal immigration and slash government spending, Tom Tancredo has peeved several important members of Colorado’s tea parties following an announcement yesterday that he will run for governor as a candidate for the obscure American Constitution Party.

In the past, Tancredo (left), like many Tea Party members, has said he opposes third-party candidacies, points out The Wall Street Journal, making the former Republican congressman’s current bid seem “like an enormous power grab” to Lesley Hollywood, director of the Northern Colorado Tea Party: “He’s making a mockery out of himself and the entire election process.”

Dick Wadhams, the state GOP chairman, has even stronger words for Tancredo, who decided to run after Republicans Scott McInnis and Dan Maes declined to exit the race despite questions about their respective abilities to lead.

“He wants to destroy Republican chances,” says Wadhams (right).

Tancredo and Wadhams squared off in a terse Peter Boyles radio appearance yesterday that hinted at a broader schism among Colorado Republican leaders. Tancredo alleges that Wadhams has repeatedly called McInnis “untrustworthy” and considers Maes’ bid to be “a joke,” writes The Huffington Post.

Tancredo told Wadhams, “You hate the people you’ve got on the ballot. You hate them both. You don’t trust either one.” Wadhams denied the characterizations, but Boyles backed up Tancredo, saying to Wadhams, “You’ve said some pretty weird things about those jokers to me, too.”

Tancredo now has to contend with the American Constitution Party’s current candidate, Ben Gross, reports 9News.